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Book Review:
THE ULTRAMIND
SOLUTION
by Mark Hyman, M.D.
Scribner, 2009
Hardback, 445 pages
While the title and tone of Dr. Hyman’s new book are geared for a popular audience, physicians and researchers also will find valuable information about the powerful effects of nutrition, toxins, and other environmental influences on the brain and body.
Hyman, the editor-in-chief of Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, is affiliated with the Georgetown University School of Medicine’s “Food as Medicine” training program. In his new book, he argues that a wide range of diseases of the mind and body—from depression and ADHD to conditions such as diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease—stem from biological causes that can often be pinpointed and treated.
Hyman makes the case that many illnesses stem from the interaction of genetic vulnerabilities and environmental insults including nutritional deficiencies, allergens, infections, toxins, and stress. He outlines a six-week program of nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle changes designed to improve physical and mental health.
In her foreword to the book, Martha Herbert, M.D., Assistant Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, says that Dr. Hyman’s book offers “a clear approach to supporting and healing our core functional systems.” She adds, “While more research is important, we know enough to deal intelligently with these challenges right now, and Dr. Hyman shows not only why but how.”
Quotes from
THE ULTRAMIND
SOLUTION:
“[Y]our genes are not fixed but capable of dynamically responding to information or instructions that come from your diet, lifestyle, and environment. The ‘information’ you send your genes determines whether you stay well or get sick, and just how well you function day to day.”
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”Some of the most exciting research on the brain in the last decade has clearly shown that the brain can heal, renew, repair, and regenerate itself. You can make new brain cells (neurogenesis), you can wake up and activate damaged brain cells, and you can improve connections between brain cells (neuroplasticity), all of which lead to improved cognitive function and remarkable recoveries.”
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“The key to optimal brain health is doing more of the things that help generate new brain cells, and less of the things that kill brain cells.”
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“Today, even with our ‘enriched food,’ more than 92 percent of Americans are deficient in one or more vitamins. That doesn’t mean they are receiving less than the amount they need for optimal health. It means they receive less than the minimum amount necessary to prevent deficiency diseases.”
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“Genes load the metabolic gun and the environment pulls the trigger . . . . [W]hether we pull the trigger or not is largely dependent on us. You may have genetic predispositions to certain diseases, but that doesn’t mean you have to get sick.”
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